Penn defends the Law

Oscars host Chris Rock got embroiled in a bitter war of words with Sean Penn for mocking Jude Law at the star-studded ceremony on Sunday night (27.02.05).

During his opening remarks at the awards, Rock made a series of quips questioning Law's acting ability and calling him a second-rate Tom Cruise.

The outspoken comic said: "You want Tom Cruise and all you get is Jude Law. Wait. It's not the same thing. Who is Jude Law? Why's he in every movie I have seen in the last four years? He's in everything. Even the movies he's not in, if you look at the credits he made cupcakes or something. He's gay, he's straight, he's American, he's British. Next year he's playing Kareem Abdul Jabbar."

However, when Penn took to the stage to present the award for Best Actress he jumped to the defence of his fellow actor.

Before announcing the nominees, the handsome actor, who is renowned for his fiery temper, told the audience: "Forgive my comprised sense of humour. I just want to answer our host's question about who Jude Law is - he's one of our finest actors."

Rock later tried to play down the incident by informing the audience he was "consulting accountants" about Penn's remarks.